Friday, October 11, 2019

In The Dark Review

Title:  In The Dark
Author:  Loreth Anne White
Publisher:  Montlake Romance
Release Date:  Dec. 1, 2019
Purchase Link:  Amazon


My Rating:  5 Riveting, Potent Hearts


*An extra special thank you to the author for an arc of this book




Synopsis:
A secluded mountain lodge. The perfect getaway. So remote no one will ever find you.

The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.

Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.

Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.

Review:
I love knowing when I open a Loreth Anne White book, I'm in for an intense, highly atmospheric experience as her uncanny ability to totally engage readers in a story is nothing short of brilliant.  Appreciating this, I settled in to read In The Dark and quickly became enthralled by this extraordinarily addictive, richly detailed suspense thriller.  Unraveling the mystery that is presented in this book became an obsession that had me eyeing each character with suspicion as I continuously changed my mind about who was trustworthy and who was not.  I urge readers to avoid spoilers like the plague and allow yourself a chance to experience this heart racing thriller first-hand.  I promise you'll become totally immersed in the dark, twisted plot of vengeance as you search for a common thread uniting this group of misfits - the one that landed everyone on a depraved killer's radar.    

In The Dark is a compelling, beautifully crafted, fast-paced mystery suspense thriller.  After abandoning a diverse group of characters in a beautiful but remote wilderness with a cunning, vindictive killer, White masterfully manipulates one against the other while meticulously stripping their masks of humanity off to expose the dark, ugly secrets hidden beneath.  Take note of chapter headings as the story unfolds through different points of view - a great opportunity to peer through the hazy window into each character's mind as layers are peeled away, exposing identities and revealing the hand each plays in this deadly game of retribution. White flawlessly shifts time periods between events that occurred at the lodge over a ten day period and the present day search and rescue effort led by RCMP Sgt. Mason Deniauld and SAR leader Callie Sutton, granting readers the ability to sense both groups increasing trepidation as time runs out.  This author's expertise at creating a dark mood and urgent tone of malice early on is evident, only growing stronger and louder as the story progresses.  Until finally, the monster lurking in the darkness within each individual surfaces to stalk the dark of night . . . and the others. They can't outrun the truth as the day of reckoning has arrived. Will anyone survive? 

As always, I immensely enjoyed White's potent, visual, trademark writing style in this book.  I consider it a bonus that I finished reading In The Dark feeling this one is extra special - methodical even among the panic and chaos that ensues as the plot thickens, lives unravel, and bodies & minds reach their breaking point.  I couldn't turn pages fast enough even though I was almost fearful of what the next page would bring in this heart-pounding suspense story.  I challenge fans of mystery, suspense, and psychological thrillers to grab In The Dark as soon as it becomes available, and carve out time to read it (with the lights on!) because interruptions will NOT be welcome until you finish this thriller.   And by the way Loreth - this book left me wanting more of Mason & Callie and the possibilities surrounding them.  Great potential for a series!  Just sayin'!

My Rating:  5 Riveting, Potent Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

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